Steering apparatus.



No. 719.869. l PATBNTBD PEB. a, 1903.

. D. W. RANTINE.

STEERING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 10, 1902.

N0. MODEL.

` citizen ofthe United States, residing at Brook- UNITED STATES DANIELW. RANTINE, OF

PATENT OEEICE.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

STEERING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,869, dated February3, 1903.

l Application filed February l0l 1902. Serial No. 93,291. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it moi/y concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. RANTINE, a

lvn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have inventedlcertainnew and useful ImprovementsinSteeringApparatus,ofwhich the following isa full and complete specification, suchas will enable those skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

The object of tiis invention is to provide an improved steeringIapparatus which may be used in connection with vessels of various kindsand classes and which is simple in construction and eflicient inoperation; and with this and other objects in view the inventionconsists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings forming part of this speciiication, in which theseparate parts of myimprovements are designated by the same referencecharacters in each of the views, Figure l is a central vertical sectionof an apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a face view of anindicator-wheel which I employ, and Fig. 3 a section on the line 3 3 ofFig. l.

In the practice of my invention I provide a hollow upright support a,having a flaring base portion a2, which may be bolted or otherwisesecured to the framework or other part of a vessel in the usual manner,and said sup port a is provided at the top thereof withupwardly-directed and oppositely-arranged arms a3, which are provided attheir upper ends with members a4, in which is mounted a tubular shaft b,each end of which is provided Witha hand-wheel b2, by either of whichsaid shaft Z9 maybe turnedin eitherdirection. The shaft b is providedwith a beveled gearwheel c, which operates in connection with acorresponding beveled gear-wheel c2, secured to a tiller-shaft c3, whichpasses downwardly through the support a, and the relative diameters ofthe wheels o and c2 are preferably such that the shaft c3 will be turnedone revolution for two revolutions of the shaft b. The' shaft cB is alsoprovided near its upper end and below the wheel o2 with a disk d, whichis secured thereto and provided with a downwardly-directed flange or rimd2, having notches or recess d3, and passing vertically and looselythrough one of the supports or arms t3 is a vertically-movable bar e,the lower end of which also passes through the laterally-directedsupport e2, connected with the support a, and said bar e is providedwith a collar e3, between which and the support e2 is placed a spiralspring e4, which operates normally to force the bare upwardly, and saidbar is provided above the arm or support a3 with an inwardly-directedlug or projection e5, which is adapted to enter the notches or recess d3in the ange or rim cl2 of the disk d. The bar e is also provided at itsupper end with an antifriction wheel or roller f, and

, mounted on the shaft b is a sleeve g, and said shaft is provided inthe opposite sides thereof with slots b3, and passing radially throughthe sleeve g and through the slots b3 in the `shaft l) is a pin (2,which is connected with `said sleeve and movable in the slots b3.

Passing longitudinally through the tubular shaft b is a rod g3, each endof which is provided with a knob, head, or handle g4, and

said rod is connected with the pin g2, as shown at g5, and by moving therod g3 longitudinally1 the sleeve g may be correspondingly moved on thetubular shaft b. The sleeve g is beveled at its inner end, and in theposition of the parts shown in Fig. l the bar e will not operate to lockthe shaft o3; but when said rod g3 is pulled to the right of theposition shown in Fig. 1 the bar e will move upwardly and the lock orprojection e5 will engage the flange or rim d2 of the disk d, and theshaft o3 will be locked against rotation. When the sleeve g is movedback to the position shown in Fig. l, the beveled inner end thereofstrikes the antifriction wheel or roller f at the upper end of the bar eand depresses it into the position shown in Fig. 1, and the shaft o3will then be free to rotate.

Secured to the head a4 of the arms a3 are inwardly-directed andupwardly-inclined supplemental arms or supports h, provided at theirinner ends with vertically-arranged bearings or supports h2, betweenwhich is mounted an indicator-wheel' h3, the perimeter of which isprovided with gear-teeth h4, and this wheel is provided on both sideswith scale or indicator marks, as shown at f2, and secured to thetubular shaft ,b is a sleeve h5, provided with gear-teeth similar to theteeth h4 on the indicator-disk h3, and said indicator-disk may thus beturned by the shaft b. The supplemental arms or supports h are alsoprovided with pointers h6, which operate in connection with the scale orindicator marks on the disk h3, so as to indicate the direction andextent to whichsaid disk has been turned, and in practice the relativesize of the sleeve 72,5 and the indicator-disk is such that saidindicator-disk will be turned once for two revolutions of the shaft b,this movement of said parts corresponding with the movement of the shaftb and the shaft c3. By means of this construction the shaft c3 may beoperated by parties standing at either side of the apparatus or ateither end of the shaft b, and said shaft c3 may be locked against lrotation whenever desired, and the indicatordisk h3 will clearlyshow atall times the direct-ion in which said shaft c3 was last turned.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a steering apparatus, an upright support, a tiller-shaft passingvertically therethrough and provided at its upper end with a beveledgear-wheel, a tubular shaft mounted horizontally thereover and providedwith a corresponding beveled gear-wheel of less diameter than that onthe tiller-shaft, a handwheel connected with said tubular shaft, a rodpassing longitudinally through said tubular shaft and movable therein, alocking-disk connected with the tiller-shaft and devices operated bysaid rod and operating'in connection with said disk for looking thetillershaft against rotation, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a steering apparatus, a support, a tiller-shaft passing verticallytherethrough and provided at its upper end with abeveled gear-wheel, atubular shaft supported horizontally above said tiller-shaft, and gearedin connection therewith, means for turning said tubular shaft, anindicator-disk supported above said tubular shaft and geared inconnection therewith, and means for locking said tiller-shaft againstrotation, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a steering apparatus, a support, a tiller-shaft passing verticallytherethrough and provided at its upper end with a beveled gear-wheel, alocking-disk secured to said shaft below said gear-wheel, a tubularshaft supported horizontally above said tiller-shaft and provided with abeveled gear wheel smaller in diameter than that of the tillershaft,means for turning said tubular shaft, a slide mounted on said tubular'shaft, a rod passing through said tubularshaft and adapted to move saidslide longitudinally thereof, a device operated by said slide andadapted to engage said locking-disk so as to lock the tiller-shaftagainst rotation, an indicator-disk supported above the tubular shaftand geared in connection therewith and pointers operating in connectionwith said indicator-disk, substantially as shown and described.v

4. In a steering apparatus, a support, a tiller-shaft passing verticallytherethrough and provided at its upper end with a beveled gear-wheel, atubular shaft supported horizontally above said beveled gear-wheel andgeared in connection therewith, means for rotating said tubular shaft, aslide mounted on said tubular shaft, a rod passing longitudinallythrough said tubular shaft and connected with said slide, a locking-diskconnected with the tiller-shaft and a vertically-movablespring-supported bar which is adapted in its upper position to engagesaid locking-disk and which is adapted to be depressed by said Slide,substantially as shown and described.

5. In a steering apparatus, a support, a tiller-shaft passing verticallytherethrough and provided at its upper end with a beveled gear-wheel, atubular shaft supported horizontally above said beveled gear-wheel andgeared in connection therewith, means for rotating said tubular shaft, aslide mounted on said tubular shaft, a rod passing longitudinallythrough said tubular shaft and connected with said slide, a locking-diskconnected with the tiller-shaft and a vertically-movablespring-supported bar which is adapted in its upper position to engagesaid locking-disk and which is adapted to be depressed by said slide,and an indicator-disk mounted above said 'tubular shaft and geared inconnection therewith, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 7th day ofFebruary, 1902.

DANIEL W. RANTINE.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, F. F. TELLER.

IOO

